Serving Wrong or Right

“Mother, why is Grandpa still sick?”

Mother was quiet a moment and Billy watched her face. She looked sort of sad as she replied, “Billy, Grandpa is not living right.”

“But he says he is,” Billy said.

“Yes, I know, but he doesn’t overcome wrong every day,” Mother spoke slowly as she looked at him. “Do you remember when you lied to me because you wanted to go play?”

Billy nodded. He had told Mother that his schoolwork was all finished because he was tired of doing it and wanted to go outside. When Mother had checked his work, he remembered how she had looked at him so sadly. Then she had talked about overcoming. “It is like a fight,” she had said. “Either you win by doing what is right, or the wrong beats you and makes you a slave. You either obey the truth and are a servant of right, or you obey the temptations and are a servant of wrong.”

“Is Grandpa letting the wrong beat him?” Billy asked.

“Yes,” Mother said, “for if we obey the temptations even a tiny bit, we are letting the wrong win. We become servants to whoever we obey. That means that either you have right or wrong ruling over you. You obey God and do right, or you disobey Him and sin.”

“What would happen if Grandpa died?” Billy asked. He already thought he knew, but the idea bothered him and he wanted to see what Mother would say.

“He couldn’t get into heaven,” Mother said sadly, “for only people who have clean hearts without sin can go there.”

“Doesn’t God want him to go to heaven?” asked Billy.

“Yes, God wants everybody to go to heaven. He will wash away the sins of anybody who is sorry for doing wrong and will trust God to help them live right. The trouble with Grandpa is that he wants to go to heaven, but he wants to go in his own way.”

“Mother,” Billy said, thoughtfully, “how does he want to go in his own way?”

“He won’t admit that he has wrong in his life,” Mother said. “He doesn’t want to see that he is serving wrong. He thinks he is OK, and wants everyone to believe that he loves God and does what is right. I know he is not really happy inside, but he gets mad if we say anything about it. Grandpa wants to think he is right with God, but he doesn’t really know he is inside.” Mother put her hand over her heart and looked at Billy closely. “Do you understand?”

He nodded. “Is that why we pray so often for God to talk to Grandpa’s heart?”

“Yes. God loves him and wants him to get saved. I believe that is why he is letting him be sick for so long. God wants him to go to heaven, so He keeps dealing with his heart.”

“The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”* (2 Peter 3:9)